


Sounds of Rain

by ll4nce



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Classic Mystery, Detective Story, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Maybe - Freeform, Murder Mystery, Suicide Attempt, i hear we needed detective terra in our lives, i really tried for this one okay, i think i forgot to tag something but eh, it was really umineko inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:29:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24607741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ll4nce/pseuds/ll4nce
Summary: A remote island with no specified name, October 4th.Terra gathers with his siblings to discuss what should happen with the inheritance of their suddenly deceased grandfather. As an argument breaks out between them, a thunderstorm hits, trapping everyone on the island. With no possible way to contact the outside world, a letter reaches Terra - a letter threatening to kill each and every one of the siblings.
Relationships: Aqua/Terra (Kingdom Hearts), past Vanitas/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts) - Relationship
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11





	Sounds of Rain

**Author's Note:**

> im back with another mystery darlingsss
> 
> okay so ive been trying to get this out for agessssss I've struggled so much with making unique tricks,,, in the end they didn't really end up being that different or difficult to solve sigh  
> well its about the journey right haha

_October 4th, 2:03 pm, docks, Terra_

Tentatively, he reached his hand out to help her get down from the ship. 

_Terra (26). Aqua's fiance and Ven's best friend. Oldest of Xehanort's grandsons. Currently owns a small company._

Aqua took it with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Terra." He nodded, smiling back at her.

_Aqua (24). Terra's fiancee and Ven's best friend. Used to be a professional ice skater._

"Come on, Ven, I'll help you too!" He called and shortly after, the blond appeared, grasping the hand Terra had reached out for him. Terra yanked the smaller male towards him, making Ventus fly over the edge of the boat, spluttering. Before anything could happen, however, Terra caught him and set him down on the dock gently, laughing. 

"Not funny, Terra!" Ventus complained.

_Ventus (20). Very insistent on being called Ven. Terra and Aqua's best friend. Currently studying to be a lawyer. Used to date Vanitas, but they broke up a few months ago._

"I don't know, I think it was funny." Ventus groaned at that and pointed his face away from the older man. Terra knew he was just pouting.

"Let's move and let the other people leave the boat," Aqua suggested with a small laugh, making Terra look up at the boat once again.

"I don't need help!" Xion shouted, but nearly fell and had to be caught by Riku, who chuckled. Kairi behind him burst into loud laughter.

_Xion (19). Xehanort's only granddaughter. Owner of a small textile company._

_Riku (22). Kairi and Sora's best friend. A hairdresser._

_Kairi (21). Riku and Sora's best friend. A police officer._

"C'mon little sister, I'll help you," Terra laughed and pulled her from the boat similarly to how he had for Ven, making her screech in protest. Kairi and Riku were able to follow on their own.

"It's been so long since I've seen Sora! I'm so excited to see him again. Though I wish the circumstances had been better…" Ven murmured, and suddenly, it was like someone had poured cold water over all of them. The laughing stopped as they remembered why they were here.

Xehanort, who is Terra, Vanitas, Sora, and Xion's grandfather, had passed away due to his sickness, prompting Sora and Vanitas, who lived on this island with him, to invite the other siblings to discuss who Xehanort inherited all of his money to. The message had come sudden - so sudden Terra wondered why neither Vanitas nor Sora had told them about their grandfather's declining health.

The sullen mood didn't lift as they slowly made their way to the mansion by following the sand path, crunching with every step. Terra had always thought the path to be at least a little creepy - as a child, he and his younger brother had gotten lost in the forest that surrounded it once. He didn't remember seeing or hearing any animal at all, just dancing shadows and howling wind. Eventually, one of the maids was able to find them and lead them out. Even to this day, he could not explain the eerie silence from the woods - and neither could Vanitas, who followed him. Though Vanitas started talking about the witch he apparently had seen - while Terra had scoffed at that, it had scared little Sora so much, he refused to walk the pathway without holding anyone's hand. Vanitas had been eager to be that person. And oh, scaring his little sibling into affectionate gestures had been so like Vanitas back then, Terra still grinned at that memory sometimes.

Immediately, his mood lifted. And just like the clouds of his mind, the forest parted further and further in front of them, until it revealed the mansion he used to live in as a child - the rose garden in front of the entrance as beautiful as he had remembered it.

"Oh!" A female voice called out and Terra spotted Naminé, currently taking care of the roses. As she saw him and Xion, she hurriedly bowed. "Master Terra! Miss Xion! Riku! Kairi! I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to greet you at the docks. I thought you'd arrive later!"

_Naminé (20). A maid in the service of their family. Was brought here as a child with her mother and succeeded her. Used to be close with Vanitas and Xion._

Terra shook his head with a laugh. "Don't worry about it. We know our way around here. And could you drop the master? I know Grandfather insisted on it, but it's making me feel so uncomfortable!"

"Me too!" Xion piqued in. "You don't really have to call me that."

Naminé shook her head with a smile. "Oh, I couldn't! Even if I wanted to, I'm way too used to it now…"

Putting her scissors down, she waved them inside the mansion, opening the massive wooden doors all on her own. Immediately, Terra was greeted by the familiar entrance hall he had raced with through with Sora and Vanitas countless of times, red carpet covering the ceramic tiled floor. Two sets of stairs lead up to the second-floor balcony, which was also connected to the rest of the second floor. "Roxas! Roxas over here! Unlock the parlor for the guests while I go get Master Vanitas and Master Sora!" Naminé shouted, cupping her hands around her lips. Terra was slightly surprised by how loud she could be.

From the hallway upstairs, blond hair poked out and drew closer, until the male stepped fo the balcony, glancing at Naminé. "I'm already up here, so let me go fetch Sora and Master Vanitas," he called back.

_Roxas (20). Ventus's twin brother. Because of severe money issues, even Ventus couldn't get him out of, he had to ask Sora for help. He is now working off his debt in this household._

Naminé nodded at him and got her keys out, at the same time as Xion pretty much flew up the stairs to throw her arms around Roxas, laughing. "Roxas! I missed you! Where's Axel?"

"Kitchen," Roxas grumbled as he pried her arms off him, but the slight smile that was gracing his lips showed that he was happy to see her as well.

At the same time, Naminé unlocked the door to the parlor, and Riku and Kairi entered the room, joking about something Terra wasn't sure of, closely followed by Ventus and Aqua. Terra decided to go into the parlor himself, leaving Naminé to do her work and Roxas and Xion to continue catching up. He closed the door behind him and chose to sit next to Ventus, who was shifting around on his seat, eyes glancing at the door once in a while, as if he was expecting something to burst through the door right at that moment. 

"What's wrong, Ven?" Terra asked and tried to place a hand in the younger man's shoulder, but he jumped up and took a few steps away from him, eyes wide with surprise. 

"Oh, uh…" Ven stammered before slumping down back in the seat, sighing. He sounded almost defeated. "It's just… I totally forgot Vanitas would be here too until Naminé mentioned him."

Terra thought about Ven's words for a second. Vanitas and Ventus had been an odd couple. Their personalities clashed and so did their interests, so much that the only point they really connected on was their love for mysteries and detective stories. It had been enough for both of them for a long time - Terra remembered them sitting in the rose garden, just talking about tricks they've seen, the mysteries they've read. Sometimes, Vanitas had even prepared his own story with tricks he then let Ventus solve - Terra had been skeptical at their relationship at first (and so had been Aqua) but it quickly showed that it was going to work out for them, or so he thought.

Their breakup was messy - Terra doesn't even know what happened, really. Because Ventus didn't like talking to him about it and his contact with Vanitas was scarce at best. Sora, who was the closest to Vanitas, didn't seem to have a clue why or how it happened as well. All Terra knew that Ven moped months - months on which Vanitas frequently tried to get in contact, which Ventus refused, it seemingly made him upset even. Terra remembered how he got really fed up with the situation and had screamed at his brother over the phone to finally stop bothering Ventus - which, surprisingly, Vanitas did. In fact, Terra didn't even hear a word from Vanitas until today. He didn't even know he had moved back to the island to live with Sora and Xehanort.

While Ventus kept insisting it was fine now, Terra knew there was some underlying hurt left. "I should have thought about that before inviting you," Terra said but Ventus shook his head.

"I need to face him sooner or later," he mumbled back. His eyes darted to the door again, Terra's glance following his, and to their surprise, the door actually opened this time, revealing a smiling man, his hair brown and eyes blue like Terra's. Much to Ven's relief, there was no one with him.

"Hello! Sorry, it took so long. Vanitas doesn't want to leave his study, he's too absorbed in writing. I mean, I tried to get him anyway but you see how that went…"

_Sora (21). The youngest of Xehanort's grandsons. Lives on the island with his grandfather to take care of him. Sometimes represents Xehanort in business meetings._

"Sora!" Immediately, the male was tackled into a hug by his two best friends, Sora hugging back as fiercely with a laugh.

"Haha, I missed you too!" Shaking his head Terra turned away, letting his brother and his friends chat with loud voices and wide gestures. He could greet Sora later. His eyes turned to look at Ventus, but his friend was whispering about something with Aqua, his voice sounding shaky. Terra decided to not interrupt them.

He just watched the others with a slight smile, until Sora patted the space next to him, plopping down with a wide grin. "And how are you, big brother?"

"Just fine," Terra laughed. "What about you?"

Sora's grin got even wider. "I'm great! So glad to see you all again. Not that grandpa and Vanitas are bad company, it's just they spend most of their time locked in their offices…" For a second, his expression of happiness faded a little. "Vani is working himself way too hard. I don't know why he is in such a rush to finish his book all of the sudden."

Almost on instinct, Terra's eyes glanced at Ventus, who was still talking to Aqua, unaware of the topic of their discussion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sora following his glance. When he saw what his older brother was looking at his eyes turned to slits and his mouth opened slightly to snarl - confused, Terra blinked and looked at Sora, only to find a neutral expression on the other's face. Was it his imagination?

"You think he's trying to impress Ven?" Sora asked, tilting his head slightly. Terra hummed, thoughtful.

"Maybe. Mysteries were what connected them, after all." Sora looked thoughtful for a second, before smiling.

"I hope he gets what he wants. Though I still wish he wouldn't work himself so hard…"

Terra nodded, but couldn't help the slightest thought of disagreement slip into his mind - after all, there must've been a reason why they broke up in the first place. And it was a fact that Vanitas hurt Ven. He'd rather not have Ventus hurt again. Or Vanitas, for that matter.

The door to the parlor opened again and his head turned to see the newcomer, almost expecting Vanitas to stroll in but it was just Xion with Saïx and Axel in tow.

_Axel (25). Works as Xehanort's personal chef. His love for fire is worrying, but never actually caused anything. Has been friends with Saïx since childhood._

_Saïx (26). Xehanort's personal doctor. Only really gets along with Xion and Axel._

"Hello and welcome!" Axel shouted, way too loud considering everyone could hear him just fine. "I brought snacks!"

Saïx behind him rolled his eyes. " _I_ brought the sweets." With these words, he rolled in a cart with empty, stacked cups and a pot of tea, tissues and otherwise covered in cakes and other sweets, the smell mouth-watering - well, not to Terra, really, because he disliked sweets, but everyone else seemed ecstatic. 

"But _I_ made them!" Axel said, swelling with pride. Saïx only rolled his eyes again.

Sora was the first one to reach out to the cart with a grin, but instead of devouring them immediately like usual, he wrapped the cakes in some tissues and made to leave the room, not before greeting Xion with a fleeting hug. "We're all here, so I'll get Vani and we'll talk about the inheritance thing! Come to the dining room, okay?" 

Oh yeah. That's why they were here in the first place. Terra nodded. He didn't know if Xion did too or what, but the next moment Sora was gone, cakes taken with him. Now that Terra thought about it, those must've been for Vanitas. He did have a nasty sweet tooth - which he hid because apparently, it ruined his "image" or something. Terra couldn't claim he understood fully - despite their closeness at young age they had drifted apart as they grew up, regrettably.

"Well, let's go," Xion sighed as she stood up, Terra moving to leave as well. He got a worried glance from Aqua, which he wiped off her face with a simple smile - the rest of the people in the lounge were conversing as if they lived in a whole different world, loud and ecstatic.

The walk to the dining room was spent in silence. He didn't know what to talk to Xion about. Countless thoughts made themselves clear in his head. Should he ask about her company? About her friends? What she's been up to? In the end, his thoughts were wasted as they reached the room before he could pick a line of conversation, finding that Vanitas had already taken a seat.

He didn't look like someone who was working in his office non-stop, to the contrary, he looked well-rested and healthy, though Terra supposed he was a little pale - Vanitas had always been on the paler side, however, so it wasn't particularly worrying - it made the oldest wonder how much Vanitas was actually working. Quickly, Terra shook the thought off and sat down with a sigh, on the left side of the long side of the table, directly next to the big chair at the head of the table which was reserved for Xehanort, the head of their family, only.

Xion sat down next to him, sighing as heavily as he did.

Vanitas across of them either didn't notice them coming in or ignored them, fiddling around with his phone with his usual indifferent expression. It took Terra clearing his head loudly until Vanitas finally glanced at them, only to turn away to his phone, not interested once again.

"Hi Vanitas," Xion tried, to which he actually responded with a simple "hello".

_Vanitas (22). Xehanort's second oldest grandson. Aspiring to be a mystery novel author. Didn't debut yet._

"Can you at least try to make conversation with us?" Terra groaned as silence took over once more.

His younger brother answered with a glare. And that was all the attention Terra was getting because Vanitas immediately turned back to his phone.

"Are you still mad about me shouting at you over the phone a few months ago? C'mon Vanitas…" Again, there was no reaction from him, leaving Xion and Terra to awkwardly glance at each other until Sora finally showed up, flurrying to sit down next to Vanitas. A breathless apology left his lips as his dynamic entrance even made the second oldest in the room finally put his phone down, even with a hint of a smile.

"Now that we're all here," Vanitas started, to both Terra's and Xion's surprise. His voice sounded like someone put Sora on cigarettes for 24 hours a day, which was weird, considering Vanitas didn't even smoke. It just like Terra remembered his voice sounding the last time he saw Vanitas in person. Now that he thought about it, that had been a while ago…

"Let's just end this quickly. We'll just split the money into four. Even parts for all of us, done."

What Vanitas was proposing was the most logical solution. Yet, Terra hesitated to agree. He knew it was because he wanted more money than just a fourth and lowered his head in shame. He made up a million excuses for his selfishness in his mind - he had a fiance, a business, a house that he needed the money for - none of them made him feel better.

"I think that's unfair," Xion suddenly spoke. Terra lifted his head to see the way she was looking at Vanitas, who coldly glared back in return.

"Why is it so unfair to you that we all get the same amount? Isn't that the fairest?" He bit back and Terra could already hear the way he was holding his anger back. Vanitas really didn't change that much.

"See, Vani" - Xion earned another glare for the nickname - "why should I, who lives on my own, works hard on my own business get the same money as you, who is freeloading at Grandpa's place while doing absolutely nothing?"

The tension weighted heavily on Terra's shoulders as he nervously glanced between his two younger siblings. He almost felt ashamed a similar thought as Xion's popped into his head at Vanitas's proposal. Hearing her speak it out made it clear to him how awful it sounded.

"Doing nothing?" Vanitas grit out. "You don't know what you're talking about!" His hands curled into fists on the table, clear for anyone to see - Vanitas was never one to hide his displeasure.

"Well I would love to read that book of yours dear brother," Xion said in response, eyebrows raising. "But all you do is pretending to be oh so stuck and be sad about it while you use someone's money up with no regard to their needs and feelings." Her eyes narrowed. "Like you did to Ven-"

A wince left Terra's mouth as Vanitas jumped up, his chair hitting the ground and his fists slamming the table. "Don't bring _him_ into this!" He shouted, shoulders shaking and jaw clenched. If it was because he was furious or about to cry - Terra didn't know. Maybe it was both.

"You almost ruined him!" Xion shouted, rising to match her brother's height. "You should be ashamed for asking for more money when you're already freeloading! Ever thought about how you're a burden to Sora and Roxas and the others here?"

Terra shuddered. Just remembering how pale and thin Ventus was as he worked himself to death to support both Vanitas and himself had a bitter bile of distaste towards Vanitas rise in his throat once again.

"I'm not a burden!" Vanitas screamed. His body leaned forward dangerously as if he'd climb the table to lunge at his sister at any moment. Knowing how explosive Vanitas's anger could be, Terra rose from his chair as well to protect Xion if necessary.

His eyes met Vanitas's for a second. Terra swallowed, feeling an irrational sense of fear freeze over his body. Vanitas was the only one of the siblings who inherited the gleaming golden eyes from their father and grandfather - it made the hair on his neck stand up. Yet, he refused to stand down, continuing to stare at his younger brother.

Until Vanitas's eyes shone with realization and took a step back from the table, his face lowered. 

For a second, none of them said a word, filling the room with silence. The tension was still present, so thick Terra was almost able to grasp it with his bare hands. He held his breath, contrary to both Xion and Vanitas, who were breathing heavily.

Only when Sora moved to turn Vanitas away from the table, Terra snapped out of his stupor and his eyes immediately landed on Vanitas - whose shoulders were shaking, whose eyes were still directed at the ground, whose ears were tinted in a deep red - he was _crying. Terra hadn't seen him cry since they were children._

"Vanitas…" It seemed Xion came to the same conclusion, her soft voice breaking through the silence. For a second, his shoulders stopped shaking and Terra thought they could talk about what happened. Make up again.

But as sudden as their argument broke out, Vanitas had run from the room, pushing Sora aside who scrambled to run after him immediately. "We'll talk about this later again!" Sora shouted at the door without turning back and soon vanished from their sight.

Again, silence reigned over the two remaining siblings.

"I didn't mean to go this far," Xion murmured. Terra turned to face her. "I just got so angry. I know what Vanitas said was fair. I just… No, I can't explain it…" 

She slumped with a sigh and Terra didn't know what to do except for an awkward shoulder pat - he never considered them close siblings but he at least thought they liked each other enough to be able to hold decent conversations. It was almost shocking how badly he was disproved just now.

"C'mon," Terra said, scratching his neck. "Let's just rejoin everyone in the lounge. Sora's right, let's talk about this when we're calmed down later. Or tomorrow. We have plenty of time."

Xion shot him a grateful smile and nodded, both of them walking towards the still open door - stopping when Terra's foot hit something.

Curious eyes traveled to the ground to find a single letter there, lying on the ground innocently. "What's this?" Terra asked out loud which made Xion stop to look at it.

"Looks like a letter," she said, picking it up with a swift movement. She turned the white envelope with pinched eyebrows. "It's pretty heavy. I think something besides a letter is in here. But there's nothing on the envelope. You think Vanitas or Sora dropped it? Should we open it anyway?"

Terra shrugged. "I think we'll know if we just open it," he said offhandedly and took the envelope from Xion, opening the seal to peek inside. As she said, other than the letter, there was also a key inside, it's design old and the metal slightly rusty. But Terra immediately recognized the design on the end of the key, showing a star-shaped charm.

"The chapel key? Why is this here?" Terra wondered, retrieving the letter and folding it open.

His eyebrows rose as he read the contents of it, confusion rising.

_To My Dearest Xehanort,_

_It is well past the time your debt was due. Nothing upsets me more than not getting back what was owed. Now it is far too late and I shall reclaim what was once rightfully mine. In the eeriest month of spirits and ghouls when my power is utmost prominent, you shall meet your fate._

_Firstly on the night of the first waning gibbous, I shall gouge your head._

_Then when the moon is at its highest I shall gouge your stomach amongst the roaring holy flames._

_And on the night of the waning crescent, I shall gouge your heart._

_Finally, on the evening of the full moon, I shall gouge your neck, then your debt shall be paid and you may go to hell in peace._

_The Witch._

"What the…" No matter how many times he scanned the contents, it simply didn't make any sense to him.

"Let me see!" Xion said and Terra passed the letter to her, but after a short time, she returned it to him, none the wiser.

"That's so weird. What's this about? Some hate mail for grandfather?" She said, her tone so dry Terra thought Roxas was standing in front of him. Maybe she got it from him.

"I don't really know. Maybe we can ask Sora about it," Terra said with a shrug and put it back into the envelope, folding and storing it alongside the key in his breast pocket. "For now, let's rejoin the others in the lounge."

Again, their walk was silent and Terra scrambled to find a topic they could talk about. The argument they had with Vanitas weighted heavily on their mind, and Terra would give anything to lift it - it seemed Xion agreed as she suddenly started to speak.

"It's raining," she simply said, and a glance out of the hallway windows showed that she was right. Dark clouds had been covering the sky of the island even when they arrived, but now it was pouring, the wind slapping the old building again and again.

"Yeah… let's hope it blows over quickly so we can get actually get off this island. I always hated being here." Xion nodded solemnly.

As they turned the corner, Axel suddenly appeared in front of them, whistling a song that Terra thought to be familiar.

"Oh, Xion! Er, Master Terra!" He called. 

"Hi, Axel! You happen to know where Nami and Rox are? We wanted to spend time together after I talked to my siblings…" Xion asked him, to which Axel put his fingers on his chin in an almost comical way.

"Naminé is sleeping," Axel explained. "She went to rest in the servants' room, worked herself way too hard making the house clean and nice for the guests. You know her. I haven't seen Roxas around, but I'm sure he's here somewhere."

"Oh okay. Thanks," Xion said, disappointment clear in her voice.

Axel scratched his head with a sigh. "Don't be sad Xi, she'll be okay. How about we go to the lounge with the others and play some cards and, and Monopoly, the Game of Life… and if I catch Rox and if Naminé feels better, I'll send them over too."

Immediately, Xion smiled a little. "Okay, thanks, Axel. That's nice of you."

Terra didn't win a single round of poker (thank you Riku, Aqua, and Xion) he lost at the Game of Life (thank you Ventus and Kairi) and lost at Monopoly too (thank you Roxas and Sora, who both joined them together after a while). But all in all, he had loads of fun until it was time for them to go to bed, the siblings going to their rooms on the first floor, the servants going to the second floor to their quarters, while everyone else went to the guest house to sleep. The storm only became stronger, Terra not minding the sound of loud thunder but knowing better than anyone that Sora might go to Vanitas's room as he had always done as a kid.

\---

_September 19th, 4:45 pm, Rose Garden, five years ago_

_Ventus sighed._

_"What's wrong?" Vanitas asked, grinning over his papers. "Is this mystery too hard for Venty-Wenty to solve?_

_"I don't even know where to start. It's so much," Ventus admitted, slumping in his seat. Vanitas clicked his tongue and his feet tapped the ground in an uneven pattern. It made Ventus's head spin._

_"How do you usually solve a mystery," Vanitas asked, leaning forward to look Ven straight into the eye. Ventus decided to look away, cheeks red._

_"I don't really… I enjoy reading them a lot, but I don't try to solve them before the reveal happens."_

_"That's a shame," Vanitas drawled. "Cause that's the best part of a mystery."_

_He crossed his legs and started grinning again. This time, Ven bravely held his stare. "Don't worry Ventus, I'll talk you through the basics. It's not fun to write mysteries that no one can solve after all."_

_Ventus nodded slowly. "Thanks, but can you stop calling me Ventus? Just call me Ven, like everyone here! Or… everyone in general!"_

_Vanitas laughed. His laughter was surprisingly clear, considering how rough his voice sounded. "But I like your name. Your whole name. So I'm going to call you just that."_

_Ventus shook his head, hoping that would hide his blush. "Urgh shut up. Just tell me how to solve a mystery."_

_"So impatient!" Ventus would give anything to wipe that smug smirk from the other's lips. "But fine, let me teach you."_

_Vanitas put his papers down, face down, so Ven couldn't read whatever tricks he had come up with._

_"Any time you read a mystery, you should start by asking yourself three questions. Whodunit? Howdunit? Whydunit?"_

_Vanitas pointed at the paper._

_"Let's imagine you have a locked room murder. I like to start with "how did the culprit do it?" See, mysteries may hint to fantastic things. Supernatural things! Magic or, other unexplainable means. But a mystery usually has an explanation based on logic. And it's the reader's job" - Vanitas pointed at Ven - "to figure that out."_

_Vanitas switched the way his legs were crossed, pulling a face as he took a sip of his cold tea._

_"Usual tricks to solve a locked room are for example, that the culprit hid in the room until it was opened, that they skipped the key into the room while everyone was investigating, that the room was never locked in the first place… that kind of stuff. Maybe even a trick on how you can lock it from the outside with rope or something, but I dislike that kind of solution. It kind of takes the magic away if anyone can just say "oh, but he just locked it from the outside!" Do you understand?"_

_At the sight of Ven's enthusiastic nodding, Vanitas laughed._

_"After that, you can focus on "Who committed the crime?" If you solved the how, maybe you get tips on who did it. Like for example, if the key was slipped in the pocket after a locked room, it may be the first one at the body. If it's the culprit hiding in the room, it may be someone who appeared suddenly and after the protagonist. If you know the how, the who gets smaller significantly."_

_Again, Vanitas glared at his cold tea._

_"Lastly, you want to touch the "Why did they commit the crime?" This one's a little tricky because modern mysteries like to brush this over. Or worse, blaming it on mental illness. I can't stand that. If a mystery doesn't have a deeper motive then it lacks a soul. Some mysteries like to reveal a deeper motive at the end scene, which is alright I guess, but I'd rather have the reader guess what the motive is about too."_

_Vanitas grinned again._

_"Remember, most of the stuff I told you about are my preferences. It may only be how you can solve my mysteries. Every author thinks differently after all. Maybe people like the locking from outside in a locked room. Maybe people don't care about a motive. But in my story, you can count on the things I just said."_

\---

_October 5th, 10:21 am, Terra's room, Terra_

Shouting in front of the door woke Terra from his slumber.

He blinked wearily and wobbled slightly as he swung both of his legs to the bedside and stood up, taking a moment to dress himself before walking to the door to unlock the chain, then turning the knob to unlock the old door. 

"What, what's wrong?" He said yawning, opening the door to see Vanitas arguing with Axel about something, one louder than the other.

At the same moment, he was attacked by a metallic stench that made him gag. Almost on instinct, his hand moved to cover his face. 

Vanitas and Axel stopped arguing to look at him. Then Vanitas pointed at something, Terra's still exposed eyes following Vanitas's finger.

It took Terra a moment to process what he was seeing. It took another few moments for it to finally click what he was smelling too.

Vanitas's door was covered in a red liquid if one judged by the smell, blood. Eerie red symbols, reminding Terra of pentagrams he had seen in movies before. He looked at Vanitas in question, who just pointedly glared at Lea, who in turn shrugged.

"Looks like Wicca," Vanitas said, eyes still glinting with lingering anger. Terra didn't know what that was. And frankly, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

Something must've shown on his face because he got a snort from his little brother. "This is probably a prank. Even if this smells like real blood, maybe it's like animal blood or something. No need to flip out." Vanitas glared at Axel again. "Bet you had real fun making this up with Xion."

"Who would make such a tasteless weird prank?" Axel muttered. Vanitas raised an eyebrow at him, which honestly said more than words could've.

"How about we get Xion out of her room to tell us her side of this?" Terra tried to reason through the silence. Vanitas bristled at his suggestion. Yet he didn't protest as they moved to knock on Xion's door. 

"There you are!" A voice stopped them. Roxas was in the hallway, panting heavily.

"The chapel door… it's covered in blood!" Roxas said, Terra and Axel exchanging looks, while Vanitas rolled his eyes.

"Fun and elaborate prank guys!" He scoffed. "Smear Vanitas's door with blood, that's so funny! I wonder if he'll get scared of the blood of it's on the chapel door! You guys fucking suck. Go play your games somewhere else."

"N-no!" Roxas's eyes widened, apparently surprised by Vanitas's antagonistic response. "I mean it!"

Vanitas waved him off and opened the door to his room, ignoring the bloody writing on it. "Whatever. I'm going back to sleep."

"Wait! I don't think you should go back in there. Do you really think you can sleep with it smelling like this?" Terra asked, trying to stop Vanitas by grasping his arm. 

It surprised Terra how thin his arm was. Now that he was holding it, he could feel it, but the clothes did a good job of hiding it.

"Urgh. Whatever. Let's look at that chapel door then. I bet it's gonna be so spooky," Vanitas drawled, beginning to stalk away to the foyer, the other three following close behind.

Almost dramatically, Vanitas threw open every door in their way including the big wooden entrance door - it must be lighter than it looks.

After they went outside, they immediately were attacked by droplets of water - Yesterday's rain hadn't lifted. If anything, it had gotten even worse, occasional lighting illuminating the sky, thunder booming in their ears.

The others didn't seem to mind the downpour, so Terra pretended he didn't as well - even though he didn't appreciate his new suit getting wet like this.

They reached the chapel in about five minutes. And as Roxas had said, it was covered in the same strange symbols that had also covered Vanitas's door. The smell was somewhat more muted because of the rain, but still very noticeable.

"Great. Awesome. What now? Is the garage bloody too?" Vanitas shouted. One was barely able to hear him over the loud rain, pelting in the ground.

Immediately, Terra's thoughts wandered to the chapel key and the letter. He felt for it in his breast pocket, and it still was there, right where he put it yesterday.

"I have the key! Let's go in to check it out!" Terra yelled and everyone agreed (albeit Vanitas did hesitantly).

"I, I have the key," he repeated as he took the letter out to retrieve it. He got some weird stares from everyone but didn't mind them, as he slid the key into the keyhole and turned it two times, hearing the clicks.

With shaking hands, he pushed the massive doors open. 

Somehow, it smelled even worse inside the chapel. The smell hit his nostrils and Terra instinctively turned away, which did not help at all. Shaking his head, he turned forward again.

"X-xion! Xion!" Terra barely noticed the whirl of blonde hair rushing past him. His mouth opened to scream, but no sounds left it. Instead, he just stared open-mouthed at the scene in front of him. The noises, the screams, and shouts from the everyone else sounded muted, his sight getting blurred and fuzzy as if they were underwater. 

Almost the entire ground in the chapel was covered in blood red. The benches were arranged in a way that let you see the pedestal at the end of the chapel easily. The pedestal was also partly covered in blood and in front of it, a slumped female sat, her clothes deep red, especially around the stomach area.

Xion-

"She won't wake up!" Roxas shouted. Panic tinged his voice and he looked back at Terra and the others, tears streaming down his face. "Something's wrong! Where… where is Saïx? He needs to help her!"

Someone next to Terra laughed out loud. All of the heads turned to see Vanitas, stepping ng into the chapel, uncaring that the blood hot onto his boots. "Alright, alright. _Good one,_ Xion. Enough of this prank already. It's not funny anymore."

He finally reached her and kneeled, again, uncaring about the blood. "You hear me? It's tasteless and not funny. Stop this."

Eerie silence laid over the group as Vanitas reached out for her shoulder to shake her awake, but as his fingers toucher her he jerked back. For a second, he didn't do anything but then both his hands reached for her shoulders and he shook her, almost violently back and forth. "Hey! This is going too far! I know I was kind of an ass yesterday but-"

He stopped, everyone's eyes following his very movement as his hands let her go. She didn't respond, she only slumped back against the pedestal. 

"Xion… this isn't funny," Vanitas said, a lot more subdued than his shouting before was. His shaking hands reached for her neck this time and after a few excruciating seconds of silence that felt like hours to Terra, Vanitas jerked back landing on the bloody ground with a shout.

"What's wrong Vanitas?" Terra shouted and finally stepped into the chapel, kneeling next to his younger brother. Vanitas's breaths were uneven and he was shaking badly, which Terra tried to soothe by rubbing a circle into his shoulder in an even rhythm. But Vanitas didn't calm down. His finger pointed at Xion.

"I, I didn't feel a pulse," he croaked out.

Not a chance. Roxas seemed to have the same thought, reaching for her wrist and neck checking both of them with a determined expression. 

However, he was taking to long, getting more frantic with every passing second.

"He's right…" Roxas whispered. "I can't feel one either…"

It couldn't be. She was fine just a few hours ago. She was talking to him. She was there. She was alive. **_When Terra got the key._**

Vanitas stuttered, standing on his still wobbling legs. Terra decided to support him before he could fall and cover his entire face in blood.

Together, they made it out of the chapel, Roxas following close behind. Axel was frozen on the entrance, staring at the scene in front of him with dazed eyes.

Without a second thought, Tera closed the door, slumping on the steps that lead to the entrance, Vanitas flopping down immediately without his support as well.

"Fucking hell," Roxas whispered, face still wet with tears. It could've been the rain as well, but Terra really couldn't tell right now.

Roxas raised his hands to wipe his face but seemingly changed his mind once he looked at them. Instead, he just held them out in the rain. 

Terra didn't know how long it took, but after a while that felt like years, he managed to stand up, taking a deep breath. "We… we need to tell everyone," he decided. Three pairs of eyes looked at him. "I'll take Vanitas to his room to get some spare clothes and get Sora. You guys get everyone else and tell them to go to the lounge. Nobody goes alone. Okay?" Axel and Roxas nodded before stomping off to the guest house. Terra helped his little brother stand.

"C'mon Vanitas, let's get you changed." He didn't protest as he was led back into the house, up to the first floor. But once Terra tried to get him to enter his room, Vanitas started to fight - shrieking at the painted door.

Terra knew better than to force him. He led Vanitas to his own room instead. "Wait here. I'll get you some spare clothes. And then we'll get Sora. You can use the washroom if you want." Vanitas barely reacted. Terra tried to flash a huge smile at him, but he knew how fake and shaky it must look. Yet, it made Vanitas nod slightly, which was reward enough.

As he left the room, Terra closed the door behind him and stared at it for almost a full minute before feeling safe enough to open the door to Vanitas's room. Surprisingly, it almost smelled as bad in his room as it did in the hallway. Terra wondered how he had planned on sleeping here again.

It smelled almost… rotten.

Vanitas's room was mostly covered in paper, paper that Terra had to either sweep away with his feet or step on to navigate through the mess, but that didn't stop him from seeing the large red stain on the ground, right below Vanitas's desk. Curious, Terra removed some paper on the desk and below it to see that almost the entire desk and ground below had been covered in the red color. One sweep of hand revealed to him whatever it was had dried a long while ago. He hoped it was wine, but the smell honestly told him otherwise. 

It was probably… dried blood.

Shuddering, he retrieved the clothes before booting out of the room, throwing the door closed.

He had to ask Vanitas what that is about.

But once he had entered his own room again, he realized that this might not be the best time for it. Vanitas hadn't moved from the spot, choosing to scratch the red color from his hands with a deep frown. Terra sighed and set down the clothes on the dresser.

"Vanitas… let's go to the bathroom. You can wash it off with water." With Terra's guidance, Vanitas was able to wash his hands. At the time as the water of the faucet, tears began to leak down his Vanitas's eyes.

Terra tried to soothe him with slow circles on his back. 

"I was so, so angry at her yesterday. I told Sora I wished she was dead," Vanitas confessed. His eyes slowly met the ground. "I didn't want her to actually die. I wanted… I was just so angry. I never wanted… Not like this."

He whimpered, using his now clean hands to wipe the tears from his face.

"It's not your fault," Terra said. It honestly didn't look like Vanitas believed him. Yet he didn't contradict his words and chose to resume cleaning himself up at least a little. Terra gave him one last shoulder pat.

"I left clothes for you outside. You can change while I get Sora." Vanitas only nodded, yet it was enough answer for Terra. He left the room again, this time significantly more comfortable with being able to watch it from the hallway.

"Sora? Are you still asleep?" Terra tried, knocking on the door. There was no answer. A sense of dread filled him. He knocked harder. He shouted louder. With no success. The room in front of him stayed silent. 

A wave of panic hit Terra, and he scrambled for the door handle, pushing it down almost violently. All it did was to make the door rattle.

"Sora! Please open the door!" Terra tried to shout, again, with little success. 

"What's wrong?" A voice next to him asked and a sense of relief filled Terra. So Sora hadn't been in the room. That explained why he wouldn't answer.

"No, I was just worried because-" As Terra turned to face his sibling, his sentence abruptly ended. Even if he tried, he couldn't find the connection to it again.

It wasn't Sora next to him. It was Vanitas. Vanitas, who was raising both eyebrows at him. Vanitas, who was frowning slightly. Terra hadn't mixed them up like that in years.

His eyes were still red-rimmed from crying earlier.

"Sorry Van," he sighed. "I thought you were Sora for a minute."

"Are you okay?" Vanitas asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion. Terra couldn't tell if he was mocking him by doing it like Sora always did or if he just picked up his mannerisms over the time he lived here. 

He presumed it was the latter. But one never quite knew with Vanitas.

"I- I don't know." Terra could feel a headache coming. With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair. "Can I really be okay? After what happened?"

Vanitas frowned. He didn't seem to think to answer that question was necessary.

"What are we going to do?" He asked instead. His eyes moved to Sora's room door, which still hasn't moved an inch since Terra had tried to open it.

Terra sighed. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."

He turned around. His eyes involuntarily landed on Vanitas's door, still covered in blood. He got so used to the smell, he barely noticed it anymore.

"We should go rejoin the others. Maybe they saw Sora," Terra finally decided.

In a moment's decision, he took Vanitas's hand to lead him away from the siblings' rooms. Vanitas didn't protest when he took his hand. Terra felt like he was 10 again.

Just like back then, they didn't exchange any words but Terra had always felt the unspoken trust in their actions. It wasn't any different now. Even though they've grown apart in the years, their bond as siblings was still present. It filled Terra with a slight sense of relief.

When they reached the lounge, chatter could be heard even from the foyer. Terra took a deep breath before glancing at Vanitas - who just glanced back at him and didn't let go of the hand - and finally opening the door.

Immediately, all eyes landed on them. 

"Terra!" Aqua was the first one to approach him, Ven following close behind.

"Is, is it really true?" Ven asked, his voice shaking. All Terra could give him was a nod and a hand on his shoulder. The younger man looked like he was about to pass out.

Aqua helped him sit down on one of the lounge sofas while Terra closed the door. He then moved to join his fiance and his best friend, his brother's grip on his hand suddenly tightening. 

"Don't worry about it," Terra whispered. Vanitas's hand relaxed but he still seemed unsure. Terra waited for him to be comfortable but Vanitas just let go of his hand and almost ran to the other corner of the room, choosing to sit next to Naminé.

With a sigh, Terra let him, sitting next to Ven and Aqua as he had planned.

"We tried calling authorities," Aqua told him. Terra nodded, but his eyes were looking at the other people in this room.

Axel, Saïx, and Roxas were in the left corner of the room. They were whispering to each other, Saïx was frowning deeply. Axel on the other hand kept blinking while rubbing his best friends back.

"The phones are all dead and we don't have service on this island."

Kairi was pacing through the middle of the room, talking to Riku about something Terra couldn't quite hear. They sounded agitated.

"We'll have to wait till the storm lets up so we can get away from here to call anyone. We're isolated."

Naminé was looking out the windows. Even though it was day, it was very dark outside because of the black clouds that had collected in the sky. The storm had only grown stronger, the wind howling against the old walls of the mansion. Aqua was right. No boat would survive this. 

"If we stay together, we'll make it," Terra tried to assure her but she still looked doubtful. His hand moved towards hers in another attempt.

"Where's Sora? Didn't you go to get him?" Ventus asked, interrupting Terra without knowing.

"We tried but… I don't think he was in his room, because no one answered. I was hoping he'd already be here."

Another sweep of the room made Terra realize in full force. Sora was, in fact, not here.

With a shout, he jumped up, gaining everybody's attention. "We have to look for Sora!" 

It was like a shockwave hit the room. What was deathly silence turned into loud and panicked shouting in mere seconds.

"Everyone! Everyone calm down!" Aqua tried. "I'm sure we'll find him safe."

It took a few minutes, but eventually, her words reached them. Almost as if they were on autopilot, they formed a circle to discuss the next step of action. Terra would like to think it was funny, but the situation was far too dire for him to.

"We'll split into groups. Each group searches a different part," Kairi suggested. At everyone's obvious doubt, she sighed. "It's the fastest way to find him before something happens!"

"She's right," a voice suddenly interjected. It was Roxas, who was still wiping away lingering tears. "We have to find him quickly. Before…" He trailed off but Terra knew what he was about to say. Just imagining the state they had found Xion in made him feel sick all over again. He swallowed.

"Maybe… maybe he's still asleep in his room. He didn't answer the door but…" Vanitas said. He was right. Sora was not that easy to wake up. Could it be he just overslept all the commotion? 

"Good. Someone check the room," Kairi instructed.

"I'll go," Terra offered. Across of him, Roxas fiddled in his pockets, before pulling something familiar out.

"Me too. I have the master key." Kairi nodded. She then swiftly split everyone else into groups - Vanitas and Naminé were to search on the 3rd floor, where grandfather's study and the servants' rooms where. Aqua and Ven were assigned to the guest house. Axel, Saïx, Riku, and Kairi to the garden. And finally, Roxas and Terra to the 2nd floor.

Terra was tense when they separated, hoping to see them all well once they found Sora - who was also well of course. How he hoped Sora was still sleeping in his room. If he believed in God, he would pray.

It only took a few seconds until they reached the rooms. The smell of blood was still ever so present but Terra ignored it, striding to the door with determined steps.

"Sora!" Terra shouted. "If you're there open the door!"

Again, there was no response. "We're gonna come in!" Terra tried one last time. With no success. Sighing, he waved Roxas closer.

Terra waited by the door until Roxas had fumbled the keys for the door out once again. His hands were shaking so badly, as he tried to insert the key into the keyhole, he missed a few times - but after what felt like hours he finally managed to turn the key around, the door clicking as it unlocked.

"Sora!" Terra tried to push the door open, but suddenly it refused to budge. The chain, which was still attached, only allowed a small gap.

"If the chain is still attached…" Roxas trailed off but Terra had also come to the same conclusion. The chain could only be attached from the inside, which meant Sora had to be in the room!

"Why won't he respond…?" Terra groaned. The bad feeling returned tenfold.

"Do you want to get the bolt cutters?" Roxas asked, his hands fumbling with the many keys he possessed. They jingled relentlessly.

"That or we break-in," Terra suggested. Sora should be awake from all the yelling. The chain proved that he was still in the room, and yet…

Terra needed to know if he was in that room. He needed to know if he was fine. And he needed to know now.

Roxas seemed to agree with his sentiment, as he nodded almost viciously. Together, they got into position. Once Terra was sure Roxas was ready, he counted to 3 under his breath.

It only took one try for them to rip the chain off the wall, making a loud sound that should definitely wake anyone. Yet, the room was eerily silent except for their pants. 

"Huh?" Roxas voiced his thoughts. Sora was not in his bed. The bed was perfectly made like no one had been sleeping in it for days.

It was strange. The chain was set, and it could only be set from the inside. **_How could this be?_**

"The window is locked too," Roxas said, frown on his face. Terra unintentionally imitated Roxas's face. The window also was only lockable from the inside.

"It doesn't make any sense," Terra whispered. They stood in the room, unsure of what to do. Not only was there the disappointment of not finding Sora, but also the confusion because of the locked room.

Both of their heads jumped up at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Their attention immediately was directed at the door.

Terra felt his eyes narrow. His body tense. His fists clench. Everything without thinking. To be honest, his mind was kind of blank.

"Terra! Roxas!" He somewhat relaxed. He knew that voice. Kairi.

But the panicked tone in her voice made him fear the worst.

"The garden shed…!" Kairi shouted. Finally, they were able to see her. Her face was red. And it wasn't because she ran too fast or because she was out of breath-

It was blood.

She was covered in blood.

"Kairi…!" Roxas stammered, pointing at her. She didn't mind him.

"You have to come! Quickly!" And before Terra knew any better, he was running. Behind Kairi, next to Roxas. Nothing could be heard except footsteps and his heart, drumming in the same fast-paced pattern. 

How he hoped Kairi's appearance didn't mean anything. How he hoped everything was fine.

He hoped till they reached the garden shed. 

He had to throw up.

There was a body in the garden shed. Hung on a rope, upside down, dressed in a nice suit…

There was no head. Just a stream of blood, dropping slowly onto two very familiar things. One was the key to the garage, attached to Sora's keychain. The other one was a certain necklace that the siblings had saved for years to pay and gift… the crown necklace.

It couldn't be… was this really Sora?

All the commotion was lost to Terra. Sora had always been so nice. So sweet. Who on this world would believe he had deserved a death like this?

Who would do anything like this? To Xion? To Sora? 

"Terra…" A hand on his shoulder made him look up. Ventus was looking at him. His eyes shone with tears - but also, determination.

"We have to find out who did this." While Terra agreed with the sentiment, he had no idea who and why and where to even start. Terra had never been the brightest - a fact their grandfather chose to mention every time they had met - he usually left the thinking to Aqua.

He doubted he could find the one responsible.

His delayed answer seemed to discourage Ventus. The hand slid off his shoulder, and an uncomfortable silence spread between them.

"Ven…" Terra tried to start, but he was interrupted by a loud boom. Confused, his head turned to where the sound came from. For a second, there was nothing. Then, dark smoke started to rise into the equally dark sky.

"A fire!" Axel screamed, dashing into the direction of where the smoke was rising. First Saïx, then Roxas, and soon all of them followed him. 

They didn't need that long to catch up to him. The fire was not that far away from where they were to begin with.

All they could do was to watch, as scarlet flames swallowed the chapel, and anything within it, whole.

\---

_September 19th, 5:12 pm, Rose Garden, five years ago_

_"I got it," Ventus said, smirking at his counterpart. "The detective with the key must've simply killed the victim. There's no other way."_

_He expected Vanitas to be angry that Ven solved it so quickly. Angry with a hint of pride. But Vanitas was frowning deeply, shaking his head._

_"So, Ventus," he said, without bothering to comment on Ven's solution. "Did you ever hear about Knox' Decalogue?"_

_Ventus opened his mouth to answer but Vanitas interrupted him. "Of course you haven't." Why ask if he knew? "So, the Decalogue is… well, it's kind of a rulebook for golden age detective stories. While they're definitely not set in stone, they can help you find solutions to mysteries if you're stuck like this." Ventus glared at Vanitas. He either didn't notice or didn't care._

_He was busy rustling through all the paper he was holding, until he found what he was searching for, yelling in triumph._

_"The Knox' Decalogue is as follows:_

_1\. The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow._

_2\. All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course._

_3\. Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable._

_4\. No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end._

_5\. No Chinaman must figure in the story._

_6\. No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right._

_7\. The detective must not himself commit the crime._

_8\. The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader._

_9\. The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader._

_10\. Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them._

_As you can see, your solution breaks Knox's 7th. Why don't you try finding another solution that doesn't go against the code?"_

_Ventus groaned. "But why? You said they weren't set in stone!"_

_Vanitas shuffled for a bit, seemingly thinking about his answer. "I want my mystery to be solvable, yet fun. By following the Knox rules… or most of them, I challenge the reader to solve my fair mystery, with no explanations and solutions that are magical. That one simply cannot think of. Like the murderer being a person, they could never have found out about before the reveal because he had never been introduced. The reader, in turn, has a chance to solve the mystery because most of the wider possibilities of how to solve it are eliminated. They too are bound by the rules in that case. They have to solve it by finding solutions that aren't always obvious and easy. Without making use of the Devil's Proof for example…"_

_Ven tried really hard not to show that he had no idea what that was. He must've done a bad job because Vanitas explained immediately._

_"It's a logical dilemma in which the evidence can't disprove a certain situation happened, how illogical it may seem. Like the murderer using a high tech murder weapon, nobody has ever seen it before. If you assume that, that weapon can do anything in your imagination. You can explain everything with that."_

_Vanitas looked over his work, a faint smile on his face. "Where's the fun in that?"_

_How rare. He didn't see Vanitas smile that often._

_"I suppose you're right. I'll try to follow the rules when solving now," Ventus said. He wanted to ask for the list but Vanitas handed it to him, almost like he could read his mind._

_"There's also Van Dine rules that you can make use of," Vanitas said while Ven went over the rules once again. "I must admit that I don't know those as well I do the Knox' Decalogue, so I might have broken a bunch of those…"_

_Ventus loved the way Vanitas laughed sheepishly. Loved the way he cleared his throat after._

_"But if you're stuck, maybe those can help you as well."_

_"Okay, one question?" Vanitas nodded, a sign for him to speak. "What's up with Knox' 5th? The one with the Chinaman?"_

_His answer was silence at first._

_"... I honestly don't know," Vanitas finally said. "I just ignore it most of the time. It's the reason I say I'm only following most of the code."_

\---

_October 5th, 5:03 pm, lounge, Terra_

The silence was deafening. Nobody was saying a word. 

Terra didn't know what to do. Out of his three siblings, only one was left - Vanitas, who sat next to him, staring at the wall with a blank gaze.

They had no means to recover Xion's body from the chapel - until the heavy rain had calmed the flames down, the entire interior had burnt black, including the body which couldn't even be recognized anymore. They couldn't carry her back into their house - Axel was kind enough to cover with some blankets he had brought, however.

Sora's body was also still in the garage. Nobody had the nerve to carry the body. Just looking at him gave Terra nausea. They covered him with the blankets that Axel had brought.

After that, they had gone to the lounge together. At first, there's been crying. Sobbing, wailing, screaming. After a while, it had died down. Become the silence that reigned over the room now.

"Who could have done this?" Aqua suddenly whispered next to him. She might as well have shouted it.

Eyes landed on them. Everyone seemed to waddle a little closer.

"I don't know," Terra answered truthfully. He didn't remember making an enemy that was ready to kill his entire family for revenge.

Without a word wasted, they had formed a circle once again. Terra looked around. The others seemed as unsure as he was.

"All of those murders have been weird," Riku whispered. "Behind locked doors. It's almost like…"

He paused shortly, sharing a glance with Kairi.

"It's almost like they're killed by witch hand," Kairi finished for him.

At the word witch, Terra remembered. Wasn't there something…

His hand found the letter in his pocket immediately. He had forgotten about it once he fished the chapel key out. 

_To My Dearest Xehanort,_

_It is well past the time your debt was due. Nothing upsets me more than not getting back what was owed. Now it is far too late and I shall reclaim what was once rightfully mine. In the eeriest month of spirits and ghouls when my power is utmost prominent, you shall meet your fate._

_Firstly on the night of the first waning gibbous, I shall gouge your head._

_Then when the moon is at its highest I shall gouge your stomach amongst the roaring holy flames._

_And on the night of the waning crescent, I shall gouge your heart._

_Finally, on the evening of the full moon, I shall gouge your neck, then your debt shall be paid and you may go to hell in peace._

_The Witch._

"What's this?" Terra handed the letter to Kairi.

"It's the letter the chapel key was in. I thought it was nonsense, but what if it has something to do with the killings?"

The letter was passed around until it landed back in Terra's hands. Not sure what to do with it, he put it on a small table behind him.

"I found the letter with Xion when we finished talking about the money yesterday," Terra explained. "I just took it with me. The chapel key was inside and hasn't left my pocket until we… well. You know."

Murmurs filled the room. 

"That's… impossible," Kairi concluded. "How did the killer lock the door if you had the key when Xion was still alive? There's no master key to the chapel right?"

Saïx shook his head. "The master key only opens the guest house rooms, the main house rooms, and the garage. It doesn't open the chapel."

For a short second, no one said a word.

Axel sighed. "Well, someone has to say it. Doesn't that mean that Terra killed her?"

The words had barely left Axel's mouth as Terra jumped up. "I didn't!" 

"Are we sure the key wasn't stolen from him while he was asleep?" Ventus tried.

The anger at Axel's accusation forgotten, Terra slumped back into his seat. Aqua's hand on his shoulder was ignored. "I locked the room and put the chain in place," Terra said. "I don't think anyone could get in without waking half of the house."

"He couldn't have killed… Sora too," Aqua said. Terra gave her a grateful glance. "He didn't have the key to the garage. It was with Sora. And he didn't have a master key."

"Yeah." It was a slight shock to hear the voice of his younger brother defending him, especially with the way Vanitas had been acting up till now - Terra didn't think he'd hear a word from him till the police arrived to arrest the killer, much less defending him.

"I think the people with a master key are suspicious." He glared at the four in question. "If they killed Xion and Sora first and then broke in for Terra's key, half of the house would be too dead to hear them."

Roxas cried in outrage. Almost at lightning speed, he was standing, his finger pointing at Vanitas. Just like Ven, his face reddened once he was angry.

"Us, suspicious? You know we have to turn in the keys before we go to sleep! In fact, ever since you moved back, we give them to _you _! Who says it wasn't you sneaking around with that master key? Killing Xion and Sora?"__

__"How dare you!" Vanitas was on his feet just as fast. It was very reminiscent of the scene between Vanitas and Xion yesterday. Terra, again, didn't know what to do._ _

__"Hey Roxas, we're all on our toes here so don't be so angry at something Vanitas said! C'mon!" Axel tried, at the same time Aqua opened her mouth to say something to Vanitas. But both of them were ignored._ _

__"We all know you need the money more than anything. Cause you like wasting it so much! So isn't it logical to kill everyone who might want a part of that fat inheritance?" Roxas shouted._ _

__"Why would you even assume I'd kill with a reason like that? I'd never, never, never kill my siblings for money!"_ _

__Roxas snorted. "Everyone here knows you love money more than you love humans. Right, Ven?"_ _

__All eyes landed on Ventus. "I… well…" His eyes darted between the arguing people. He seemed at a loss of words._ _

__"You're delusional!" Vanitas interrupted before Ven could form a coherent sentence. "Sora, Xion… my siblings mean the world to me! How could I ever do something like that to them?"_ _

__Terra knew that Vanitas was fighting a lost battle. Out of the persons in the parlor, only Ven was watching the scene with mild confusion. Everyone else seemed to have made their mind up, their bodies tense, their eyes pointed at Vanitas. Accusing. Defensive. Distrusting. Even Aqua and Axel, who had tried to diffuse the situation before, were convinced by the argument that Roxas made. Vanitas's bad relationship with most of the people here was working against him._ _

__"I think you would."_ _

__Roxas was reading the situation right. His face took a normal color again and his angry expression turned... smug, almost. He knew._ _

__It seemed Vanitas felt it too. His eyes searched the eyes of the group. "No… you believe me, Terra, right?"_ _

__Terra felt his face heating up. It wasn't that different from getting picked in school when you had no clue. He simply didn't know what to say. His sweaty and clammy hands froze in their position. He glanced around for help._ _

__He didn't know Vanitas as well as he used to. But Vanitas had always been a good liar. Could everything have been faked by him? Or had those emotions in the chapel, in the bathroom… had they been genuine?_ _

__"Ventus…!" Vanitas almost sounded like he was begging._ _

__Ventus looked away._ _

__The tension felt overwhelming. If Terra didn't know any better, he'd say it was out to crush him._ _

__He didn't know how long the silence lasted - seconds probably, but it felt a lot longer than that - before Vanitas took a few steps backward, face frozen in utter shock._ _

__Again, only breathing could be heard. And then, fast footsteps. As Vanitas ran from their conversation once again._ _

__"Vanitas!" Terra shouted. He was as successful as last time in stopping his little brother. The door to the lounge was slammed shut, and a few seconds later, they heard the main doors open and shut in the same violent manner._ _

__"Split into groups! We have to find him!" Kairi shouted over the raising, agitated voices._ _

__Immediately, the groups formed: Axel, Saïx, Naminé, and Roxas decided to stick together as they left the lounge, while Aqua for sick of waiting for Terra and Ven and ran with Riku and Kairi instead._ _

__That left Ven and Terra alone in the lounge. Ven looked as unsure as Terra felt._ _

__"Do you think…?" Ven whispered._ _

__Terra chose to look at the ground. "It's possible."_ _

__"I think…" Ventus started but hesitated to finish his sentence._ _

__"This style…" He instead said. "This style of killing is so familiar. It's like a mystery. Specifically… Vanitas's mysteries."_ _

__A feeling of dread felt Terra. Wasn't this almost irrefutably hinting at Vanitas being the one setting all of this up? If Ven thought this was like Vanitas's Mysteries… who else but Vanitas could make them?_ _

__"We have to find him," Terra decided. Ven nodded along._ _

__"Where should we go?" He asked._ _

__"...in his room, maybe?" Terra said with a shrug. It was the most obvious answer he supposed. Vanitas used to retreat there a lot, refusing to come out. Food and water had to be brought to him. He did not build a snowman with Sora._ _

__It was when they reached the hallway, Terra remembered the state Vanitas's room had been in the last time he was in._ _

__"Maybe he's not there actually," he mumbled. Terra had no idea if the paper and dried blood happened before or after Vanitas had left the room in the morning, h had forgotten to ask - but how high are the chances he stayed in there in that state?_ _

__"We're here, so might as well check," Ven said. He wrinkled his nose as he pushed down the handle. It opened with a creak and he wasted no time pushing it open, making it hit the little stopper that is supposed to stop it from slamming against the wall._ _

__"What the…"_ _

__Terra followed as soon as he heard shuffling sounds that indicated Ventus moving the paper out of the way to make a path - and the room was just like he remembered it._ _

__Except for the small path to the table, paper was covering everything. Ventus was standing right there, one hand following the red trail on the table, the other one holding one of the countless pieces of paper - Terra hadn't noticed before, but most of the paper seemed to have writing on them. Writing… and sometimes red stains._ _

__"What happened here?"_ _

__"No clue. I figured I'd ask Vanitas once he felt calmer, but you know how that went."_ _

__Ven shot a look at the paper once again before his eyes met Terra's. He was frowning deeply, eyes filled with confusion and doubt._ _

__"Those pages… they are the mystery Vanitas was writing. I remember a few passages because I was reading his work when he was asleep…" Ven said._ _

__Without much of a reason, Terra picked a page to read it - it was about the characters talking about a locked room murder that had occurred. It was strangely identical to the state they had found Sora in - however, the text cut off before the character told the solution. And no matter how much Terra looked through the paper, he simply couldn't find the paper that followed that one._ _

__He found some other pages, however, describing a letter by a witch. A murder in the chapel. The disappearance of characters._ _

__"This is almost identical to what happened…!" Terra said once he had read a few passages of the mystery. Ventus made hum of agreement._ _

__"It reminded me so much of Vanitas's style… because it is! The murders were modeled after his novel…"_ _

__It was almost horrifying. Reading the papers of fiction, knowing it happened in their reality._ _

__Terra felt like he wanted to throw up. The smell really didn't help._ _

__"Ah!" Ven suddenly exclaimed. Terra whirl around immediately, but there was no murder in sight. Just Ven, holding a simple, red notebook._ _

__"What's that," Terra asked, moving closer to his friend. He couldn't bear to look at the pages any longer and dropped them on the ground._ _

__"It's… it's his. Vanitas's. I gave it to him on one of our Christmases. To think he let it out in the open like that…"_ _

__"Hey…" Terra protested weakly as Ven flipped it open without a second thought. Ven shot him a glance before going back to skipping through the dated entries._ _

__"I know this is his private thing and all that but… if he's the killer, we'll find a motive here."_ _

__Terra knew he was right, yet he couldn't stop the uneasy feeling. It felt wrong. Even though it was probably the smarter thing to do._ _

__"... I had no idea he felt like this," Ven said. His eyes scanned the pages at an incredible speed. But his hands were shaking._ _

__"To think that… God, did Xehanort really tell him that?"_ _

__Terra swallowed. Getting over the feeling of dread in his stomach, he leaned over to see Vanitas's surprisingly neat handwriting - dated just after he and Ven had broken up._ _

_September 27th_

_Grandfather threw the tea I brought him back at me and told me I'm a burden. That I'm useless, a waste of space. A disgrace to the entire family. Even that… he wished I was never born. It's nothing new, really - it's always been like that. I suppose I can see how he thinks I have failed - after all, I did move back. But my novel is almost done. With this, I will prove to him that he is wrong. I have to have success with this, not only to prove myself to grandfather but also to repay Ven… and hopefully, apologize for what has occurred. I have to tell Sora that he won't accept tea from me._

__"Did you know about how Xehanort treated him?"_ _

__Terra had to think about that for a second. "I just know grandfather was not happy with Vanitas's choice to be a writer. And that grandfather used to spoil Sora more than the others. Otherwise… I had no idea."_ _

__Ventus frown got even deeper somehow. His eyes went back to the diary. Terra's eyes followed his._ _

__The next entry was dated a few days later, close to the date they had today. Terra squinted in confusion as he realized the words' meaning._ _

_October 1st_

_Finally, it has been done. My novel… it's finished. For the first time, I feel like I accomplished something good._

__"His novel was finished?" Terra voiced what both of them were thinking._ _

__"Why... Why didn't he say so?" Ventus shrugged. His eyes betrayed his confusion. His guess was as good as Terra's._ _

__"It's… it's the last entry." And as Ventus said, the other pages of the notebook where empty. The book had provided them with no answers, but more questions._ _

__It made Terra's head spin._ _

__If the novel was finished… why didn't Vanitas tell anyone? Why didn't he brag with it? Tell them about the release? Anything?_ _

__Those questions were only adding to the mystery. The mystery that Vanitas had written. But also the mystery that was playing right before their eyes._ _

__"Terra! Ven! There you are!" Riku's voice cut through the silence._ _

__"We found him!"_ _

__Terra and Ven were on their legs immediately. "Where? What did he say? Is he… is he really…?" Ven immediately asked. But Riku only shook his head._ _

__He was not covered in blood, but his message was the same._ _

__Vanitas had been found. But he had been found deathly still and pale, lying in one of the rose fields in the garden._ _

__Mone shone clearly on his face - He looked like he was sleeping._ _

__But Isa and Kairi had both confirmed - no breathing, no heartbeat._ _

__And as Terra mourned, unbelieving, he ran through his brother's wet hair - no problem finding that strange scar he had gotten as he fell off the island's cliffs as a teenager._ _

__Memories flooded his mind - they got along so well as kids. What had changed them so much? Changed them enough Terra would even consider him a murderer? How he wished he defended Vanitas against Roxas's claims. How he wished he believed._ _

__Then maybe, he wouldn't be in the rose garden, crying for yet another sibling he had lost._ _

__It was a strange contrast to the scenes they had found the other two in. There had been little to no blood, even though his neck had been cut wide open. Roses were placed specifically to hide the deep cut - yet there wasn't any blood on them. Not on the field, not on the flowers, not on his clothes._ _

__And his body… it was ice cold. His clothes soaked with water from the rain._ _

__Like he had died a while ago._ _

__This couldn't have been the place where he was killed. Someone must've carried him here. That's what the lack of blood and the missing murder weapon suggested. But they've all been together. They had looked for Vanitas together. Nobody even had time to commit a murder like this._ _

__Who_ _

__Had it been_ _

__A stranger_ _

__After all_ _

__?_ _

**Author's Note:**

> ill post part 2 which reveals the solution soonish, like one week or something? i would love,,, comments about solutions youve come up with 0.0 
> 
> My [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ll4nce/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/ll4nce?s=09) in case youre interested


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